Long Live the Poor!
by JessaTuesday
Summary: It's been a year since Haruhi's sister, Nanami, died. Haruhi decides to do a little investigation of her own at the Ouran Elite Private Academy, and she's got a plan to join the Host Club to figure it out. But there seems to be a lot more to this mystery than Haruhi origianlly thought. Rated M for future chapters. It's better than it sounds. Eveyone hates summaries.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Starting Today, You Are a Host!**

She walked into the school trying to hide the purpose in her stride. She glanced over the edge of her glassed. She looked around the huge front hall of the school, noticing the expensive uniforms everyone was wearing. In her grubby cheap clothes, she knew she would stick out and be identified as the scholarship student in a second. Exactly what she wanted.

She walked the length of the school, trying to find the room where she knew they'd be. She finally opened a door to a music room, music room number three to be exact, and found the Host Club standing before her.

It had been one year since Haruhi's sister, Nanami, had died. Their mother died when they were young as well, and it was really hard on Haruhi's father, who had become really depressed and often came home to drunk to do anything. He had never done anything to hurt Haruhi or anything like that; she was just often left with the choirs around the house, but she didn't mind.

There was one thing that did bother her. In fact, it bothered immensely; her sister's body had never been found. The murderer had never been discovered or captured. No one knows who did it, except that they went to Ouran Elite Private Academy. Though many interrogations had been done, nothing solid had ever been found. That's when Haruhi decided to do her own investigation. The problem was Ouran Academy was extremely expensive. It hadn't been a problem for her sister, because when she attended they were rich. But after Nanami had died, her father quit his job and pulled out of society. Their money had been slowly declining, until he had gone out in search of a job 6 months ago. He said he never wanted to go back to the first calls society again, and had been working simple jobs, making just enough money for them to live a simple commoner's life. Haruhi didn't mind. She never liked rich people stuff anyways.

When she decided to go to Ouran herself, they didn't have the money to pay for it. And she didn't have her father's support, either. He was still too suspicious of the school, and he didn't want anything bad to happen to Haruhi. She was all he had.

Lucky for her, Haruhi had always been an exceptionally bright student, so she took the test for the scholarship. She'd had to do all the applications herself since her father disapproved too much to help her. He didn't see the point of Haruhi risking her life to solve her sister's murder case.

She passed the test and got a full scholarship to Ouran. She and her father argued for days as to whether she should be able to go, but she had already made up her mind, and finally got her father to agree. So here she was, her first day at Ouran Private Elite Academy. She'd heard many rumors about the school, including the famous Host Club. She knew her sister was a frequent guest to the Host Club, even though it was just starting out when she was a first year. It had grown a lot in a year. She knew as a scholarship commoner, she'd never be allowed as a guest, and as a girl, she'd never be allowed as a host. But she needed to get close to them. Much to her father's dismay, she cut off all her hair and bought what most would assume were boy's clothes. Looking in the mirror that morning, she figured she could pass as a boy, especially because she had a deeper voice than most girls.

She stood in the doorway, looking at the strange group of handsome boys standing before her.

"Why hello," said the tall blond one. From her research before school, she identified him as Tamaki Suoh.

"Sorry, I was just looking for a place to study," Haruhi said.

"Aren't you that scholarship student?" said the one with the dark hair and glasses. Kyoya. "Hikaru, Kaoru, isn't this young man in your class?"

"Yes, but he's not very sociable, so we don't know much about him," the two orange hair twins said in unison.

"So, you're Haruhi Fujioka?" Tamaki said, with surprise in his voice.

He began talking about his admiration for poor people, but Haruhi wasn't listening. They already thought she was a guy, but she needed some reason to join their club. She thought about asking to observe the club when her thoughts were interrupted by the shortest member of the host club, Mitsukuni, who Haruhi already knew was called Hani.

"Haru-chan!" he said, grabbing her arm. "You're like a superhero, right? To be smart enough to come here?"

"Who're you calling Haru-chan?!" Haruhi yelled.

"So to speak, you are a hero, Fujioka-kun!" Tamaki said.

"Not really, just an honour student." Haruhi said.

Tamaki continued as if he hadn'y heard her. "Even if you are the top student, you are also the poorest in the school. People will call you a weed, and you will be despised as a lower person! Don't worry, I praise the poorest! What is important to the hero is the reskless spirit! All hail poverty!"

Haruhi tried to ignore the rest of his speach. Then he said something she wasn't prepared for.

"It's strange you're here. I never thought the infamous honour student…would be so openly gay." Tamaki said.

_Gay? _Thought Haruhi. _I can live with that. But I don't think they'll let me get close to them if they think I'm gay. _

But Tamaki was already approaching her, asking her what kind of guy she was into.

"The strong, silent type?" gesturing to Mori, who was standing looking stoic in a corner.

"The boy Lolita?" Hani winked.

"The mischievous type?" as the twins came up and poked her sides, making her squirm.

"Or the cool type?" Kyoya didn't even glance up from his clipboard, uninterested in their antics.

Haruhi played along with a shocked look on her face. Then Tamaki put his hand on her cheek. "Or maybe you're into a guy like me? What do you say?" Haruhi pushed away from him, and her body slammed into a small display table. She turned to watch a gorgeous vase fall to the ground.

She stood there, shocked, while the twins said, "That vase was worth eight million yen! We were going to display it at our next school auction!"

"I'm so sorry! I'll pay you back," Haruhi found herself saying. But everyone in the room knew she'd never have the money to do so.

"You know what they say; when in Rome, do as the Romans. Since you have no money, you can pay off your debt by acting as the Host Club's dog!" Tamaki said.

And just like that, Haruhi became part of the Host Club.

**My second attempt at an Ouran Fan Fiction (the first one was just bad). I have some really great devolopments planned for this story. There's so many twists coming very soon. I hope you all enjoy it! Please R&R!**

**Peace.**

**But not really.**


	2. The Job of a High School Host

**I couldn't think of a way to make the club figure out Haruhi is a girl, so just assume that they have, somewhere between the first chapter and this one.**

**The Job of a High School Host!**

"Thank you so much for the dance lessons, Kanako," Haruhi said, sitting down for tea.

"It's really no problem at all, Haruhi," said the petit girl with short brown hair.

Haruhi was trying her best to stay positive. She was not pleased when the club informed her the upcoming ball was not optional. She tried telling them he couldn't dance as an excuse, but Kanako had then offered dance lessons. Haruhi decided just to make the best of it. The lessons had gone surprisingly well.

Tamaki, on the other hand, was brooding in the corner. When Haruhi asked what was making him so upset, the rest of the club pulled her aside and told her about Kanako. Apparently she had host-hopping syndrome, which meant she jumped from host to host, never really choosing a favourite. Tamaki had been the lucky host for a while until she jumped to Haruhi. Haruhi thought Kanako's behavior was strange. Maybe she had the same suspicions as Haruhi, and was trying to find information. Haruhi welcomed Kanako in hopes of getting close to her, to find out what she knew.

That was one of the reasons she agreed to dance lessons. But she also didn't want to make a fool of herself, and she thought that the ball she might get to meet other people like her, who thought the Host Club could be behind the unsolved murder cases.

Haruhi had always been able to read people very well. That's why she instantly saw Kanako freeze when the Ouran student who delivered the tea cups came in. Haruhi saw the sad smile play across Kanako's face when she closed her eyes, and the small tear that streaked down her cheek when she opened them. The delivery boy's reaction to Kanako didn't get past Haruhi either. He walked in with composure, prepared for the usual antics of the Host Club, but he wasn't ready to see Kanako sitting with her back to him in the room. When Kyoya approached the delivery guy to sign for the shipment and say hello, the delivery boy paused, but finally founds the words to say hello back, and continue making small talk.

Kanako was completely quiet while he was there and excused herself from the room when he left.

"Daichi is Kanako's fiancé's brother," Hani said directly after, seeing the question in Haruhi's eyes.

"Kanako is already somebody's fiancé? Will they marry after they finish Ouran? Kyoya, did you know of this?" Tamaki said. This was all news to him.

"Of course I knew," Kyoya said. "I do basic background checks on all our guests

"But they won't be getting married," Hani spoke again. There was sadness in his voice.

"Why not?" Haruhi asked.

"Toru, her fiancé, died. No one figured out who did it. It happened last year. That's why Kanako is so sad all the time," Hani said.

"She tried so hard to cover it up. That's so sad," Haruhi said. Even though everyone in the room had grown sober from hearing about it, Haruhi still had a feeling that the Host Club was too suspicious to not have anything to do with all the mysterious murders that happened the year before.

Kanako requested Haruhi as her host every day she came in up to the day of the ball. She gave Haruhi a few more dance lessons as well, and by the time of the ball Haruhi could pass as an average dancer.

The ball was held in one of the school's many ballrooms. As expected, the majority of the school's female students attended, along with a bunch of boys as well. Soon the room moved with the music.

Excitement moved across the room as well. The Host Club announced that one lucky girl would get a kiss at the end of the night from the club's prince, Tamaki.

Haruhi danced. She tried to be a good host and danced with as many people as she could. Before the end of the night, Haruhi pulled Kanako aside.

"Haruhi, is there something you need?" Kanako asked, curious.

"Actually, I know this is a touchy subject, but… I heard about your fiancé. And I'm horrible sorry, but do you ever wonder…"

"Who killed him?" Kanako interrupted Haruhi. "Every day. I think about what kind of person could do this to my sweet Toru."

"I know the feeling. My mother passed away was young, and someone else I'd rather not talk about… But I really want to help you find out who did this. I strongly believe that justice should be served. I couldn't bare it if someone else got hurt. I know the investigators didn't find anything, but I think I have some clues that could be leads. And I'd really like your help, Kanako," Haruhi said.

"Of course. Yes," Kanako said. "I want to hunt down the bastard who did this and make sure he gets what he deserves."

"I know how you feel," Haruhi said.

The rest of the night went as planned. Everyone danced and had a good time. Tamaki kissed a girl Haruhi didn't know the name of. Everything was normal until the very last song. A mysterious man in a mask approached Haruhi and asked her to dance. No one knew Haruhi was a girl other than the other members of the Host Club, so Haruhi wasn't worried that he knew. Thinking he was just interested in her, she accepted. After they danced, he grabbed her hand and led her to an empty hallway.

"I know your secret," said the masked man.

Before Haruhi could mumble out any response he kissed her, and disappeared. Thinking is simply meant he knew she was a girl, she wasn't overly worried. She figured she and the Host Club would figure a way to cover it up if it got out.

Smiling, with the sweet taste of the masked man's lips still on her, she has no idea how much he really knew.

**I'm getting so excited for the story! Please R&R. I think I'm going to be posting every 2 or 3 days, so no long waiting! This is probably my favorite chapter so far. Who is the masked man? Keep reading to find out!**


	3. Beware the Physical Exam!

**Beware the Physical Exam!**

It was a lovely spring day for the Host Club. The twins were… being the twins as usual, while Kyouya tried to sell photo books of stolen/secretly taken photos. He was using some shtick about beauty and how "One should try to capture beauty while it's present," or something ridiculous like that, and the girls were buying it (literally).

"You know you can't keep your secret forever, Haruhi," the twins said in unison to Haruhi, who had been lost in thought, staring at the blossoms on the trees.

She panicked at first, thinking they knew her real name, but then she remembered that her gender was still a mystery to the rest of the school and they were more likely to be talking about that.

"Why not?" she asked them.

"Well," the twins said, in unison, as always. "The physical exam is tomorrow."

"So?" Haruhi asked. "Aren't those done in private anyways?"

"Didn't they do physical exams at your old school?" They asked her, as if she was stupid.

"You see, Haruhi," Kyouya said. "Physical exams are another Club activity. I wouldn't worry about it, though. I'll make sure to arrange for yours to be down in private."

"Thank you, Kyouya-senpai," Haruhi said.

On the day of the physical exam, Haruhi was escorted to her own room. The nurse told Haruhi she knew her situation and would she please undress behind the curtain?

Outside of the room, there was a lot of commotion. Word spread of some doctor who had tried to molest one of the Ouran girls. Kyouya, whose family employed all the doctors, knew that there shouldn't have been anyone there who would do something like that.

Tamaki, worried for Haruhi, shot off in the direction of the private room. He arrived just in time to hear Haruhi say, "Hey! Get out of here!", and a man's voice reply, "I'm terribly sorry, miss!" Tamaki rushed in and threw his shirt over the nearly-naked Haruhi, who was down to a tank and panties. The rest of the Host Club arrived and turned towards the doctor, asking him who he was and what the hell he was doing in a girl's dressing room.

"I'm so sorry," the man said. He looked genuinely sorry. "I'm just trying to find my daughter."

"Your daughter?" Tamaki asked. His voice went from angry to soft and interested in a second.

"Yes," the man said. "I tried asking someone, but she started screaming and people started chasing me. I was trying to get away when I came into this room." The man turned to Haruhi, who had put her clothes back on. "I really am very sorry."

"What's your name?" Kyouya asked suddenly.

"My name is Dr. Yabu. My daughter's name is-"

"Kana," Tamaki said. He bit his bottom lip, a mix of sadness and pity washing over his face.

The doctor ignored the looking, asking, "Yes, do you know where she is?"

Kyouya, seeing Tamaki's hesitation said, "Why are you looking for her?"

"She and her mother left a year ago, and I've been out of contact with them. But I've sobered up, gotten myself together, and I know I need to be a better father for her. I tried to call her mother several times, but I haven't heard anything back. I decided I should come look for her. Do you know where she is?" Dr. Yabu asked.

Tamaki looked like he was going to respond, but his eyes filled with tears and he ran out of the room. Haruhi ran after him.

"Senpai?" She asked when she found him on the floor crying.

"I… I just can't," Tamaki said.

"Can't what?" Haruhi asked.

"Can't tell him…" Tamaki said.

Haruhi waited a moment, listening to the desperate sobs Tamaki made. She waited until he started breathing a little more normally before asking, "Can't tell him what? Where is his daughter?"

Tamaki looked into her eyes, and Haruhi had never seen pain so real and raw since she saw her father at her sister's funeral. It was then Haruhi knew what happened.

Tamaki confirmed it. "She's dead," he said, the pain in his voice. "She died months ago. Someone… someone killed her."

Haruhi curled up beside him, her back against the wall as Tamaki's was. He turned towards her, and she found herself hugging him, trying to take the pain away. They sat there for a long while, while Tamaki's tears turned less into loud moans and more into the quite tears one cries when there is too much pain to make the sound of wailing anymore. Haruhi was willing to bet they were friends, maybe even lovers, because this kind of pain came only from knowing someone who had died.

Tamaki slowly recovered enough to stand and walk back into the room. Dr. Yabu stood, looking confused by Tamaki's tear-streaked face. The rest of the Host Club looked sullen, as if they already knew what happened. And, for all Haruhi knew, they probably did. She may have attended the Host Club, but even if she didn't, they were all friends with Tamaki.

"She was a customer," Tamaki said to the doctor, confirming what Haruhi thought. "We're the Host Club, maybe you've heard of us?"

Dr. Yabu smiled. "Yes, I remember Kana talking about you guys a whole lot." A realization of surprise came into his eyes. "Are you Tamaki? She talked about you the most. She really likes you."

Tamaki smiled sadly, as if he was replaying a memory in his mind. "I hate to be the one to tell you this," he said, the smile long gone. "Kana… she died. A few months ago. No one knows who did it, no one knows why."

The smile fell from Dr. Yabu's face. He fell to his knees, shock and disbelief obvious in his face.

"I'm so sorry," Tamaki said, tears filling his voice again. "I knew her. She was a wonderful person, a person who deserved to live happily for a long time," Tamaki sounded just a tad bitter, but the sadness overcame it. He knelt down beside Dr. Yabu. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

There was a lot of crying in that room. The club members slowly trickled out as each seemed to reach the breaking point of what they could stand to watch. Hani ran out first, crying so hard he could barely breathe. Mori followed him out, and Haruhi could see the faint outline a single tear streaked down his face. She was surprised. She had never seen him cry. The twins didn't cry, but they looked so somber. She had never seen them so polite and quiet. Even Kyouya lost a little bit of his usual I-Don't-Care glare.

Tamaki didn't leave until Dr. Yabu had. He stayed with him even after Haruhi had gone. And while Haruhi made her way home, she couldn't get the image of Tamaki out of her head and the way he looked so incredibly sad.

It was the first time Haruhi doubted what she thought the Host Club had done.

**This chapter makes me sad.  
Sigh.**

**Anyways, I should be updating more regularly now. I have the entire thing written out, I just have A LOT of editting to do. Please review! Thanks!**


	4. Attack of the Lady Manager

Attack of the Lady Manager

"Are you sure you can do this, Kurami?" The shadowy figure on her TV screen asked.

"Of course," the girl replied. "I can do anything."

"Good," the figure said. "I knew I made a good choice in hiring you. Don't let me down. You might regret it."

Kurami smiled. She had been training since she was young for situations like this. She knew she had to; you don't survive being the daughter of some as dangerous as her father (an assassin, leading member of the Japanese mob, and who may or may not be heavily involved in a very dangerous job involving the Japanese government and warfare with the majority of the middle east and with America) without learning very early in life to take care of yourself. For Kurami, this meant going so far as becoming one of France's most promising spies. France was where she resided alone, knowing it was too dangerous to be anywhere near her father.

It didn't matter that this could possibly be the biggest jobs in her career. She'd been doing undercover work for years, and she was only 15. She'd just gotten a huge deal with one of the most alluring and mysterious men in all of Japan; so mysterious, in fact, that not even her father knew who he was. Knowing how important this job could be for her, she'd read and studied her new background material so many times, she could recite it backwards. She booked the first flight to Japan thinking "_Maybe now my father will be proud of me."_

And when she took her first step into Japan, she'd become Renge Houshakuji.

It was a rather slow day at the Host Club. The twins and Tamaki were having some useless argument. Hani was having tea and cake with Usa-chan while Mori watched. Kyouya was writing something in his ever present clip-board. Haruhi was making more tea.

So Music Room #3 was quiet when Renge opened the door. The Host Club turned to her.

Tamaki approached the guest, who was wearing in the yellow dress standard for the Ouran girls.

"Please, you don't have to be afraid," he said to her, bowing his head to look up at her in his ever-charming way. "Princess, I welcome you to the Ouran Host Club."

Haruhi tried not to gag.

Renge took an immediate disgust for him, and though she would usually freak out or recoil from such a person's touch, that was not what "Renge" would do. She tried to smile as she looking into his eyes, "Oh, you're so… charming," Usually she could keep her cool around anyone, but there was something so… feminine about the guy standing in front of her that she found it hard to keep up her act and not punch him in the face. She clenched her fist behind her back. This action was not missed by Haruhi, who had been standing near the doorway when Renge had entered.

"What's your name?" Another voice said. She turned towards the sound, and saw her target in front of her. Kyouya.

"Renge Houshakuji," she said to him. He nodded.

"A prominent family. I think your family and mine are in the middle of a business deal right now," Kyouya said. "You're a welcome guest."

Tamaki went about introducing everyone. Afterwards, Hani approached her.

"Do you want to have cake with Usa-chan and me?" the rather small senior boy said, holding up his rabbit. He rambled on for quite a while about different kinds of cakes they had and getting increasingly annoying to Renge, who was already on edge because of Tamaki.

_You annoying piece of-_ she thought, smiling politely. _Just get through this job, Kurami. It's nothing. It's no more difficult than anything else you've done._

Renge excused herself from the conversation with Hani and made her way to Kyouya.

"Hello," she said. "From what I hear, you're the one in charge around here."

"Tamaki is the king," Kyouya said almost mechanically, as if he was asked the question every day.

Renge had only been there for a few minutes, and already she was irritated with the theatrics. "Look, let's cut the crap," she said to him, completely turning off "Renge" and becoming very business-like and menacing all at once. "My family and yours are in a very big business deal right now. I want information and you're going to give it to me, or I will tell my daddy how very _rude _and unmannered the Otori boy is. You wouldn't want that," she smiled, thinking that she had him.

"I've met Renge Houshakuji. She's a lovely girl," Kyouya said suddenly. He barely looked up at her as he said, "You are welcome as a guest, so long as you keep out of our business. I don't know why you're here or who hired you, but I'd highly suggest not meddling. Unfortunate things can happen."

Renge looked stunned, and took a cautious step backwards, keeping her eyes on him, before she quickly walked out of the room.

Haruhi, who had heard only the last part of the conversation, was very confused. Only a week ago Tamaki had been crying over a girl who had died, and then Kyouya was telling a new guest to stay out of their business and backing it up with threats? What the hell was going on in this club, anyway?

Outside of Music Room #3, Renge was on the phone with her employer.

"He knows," she said simply.

"How much?" the man's voice asked her.

"Just that I'm not Renge and that I'm after information," she said, wondering just how bad she had messed up.

"Alright," the man's voice sounded slightly disappointed, but also expectant. As if he knew she would mess up. "I was going to ask you to switch targets anyways. The new boy, Haruhi, I think he may know more about the Host Club, and be willing to give it up."

"Alright," she thought. Haruhi hadn't said a word yet. _How exciting, _Renge thought. _A mute._

Renge re-entered the room dodging Tamaki and walking straight up to Haruhi. "Hello," she said.

Haruhi looked at her for a minute, trying to figure out what Kyouya thought was dangerous enough about the girl to threaten her, but upon finding nothing, said, "Hello, I'm Haruhi."

They carried on with idle chatter, until Haruhi said, "I'm sorry about Kyouya. I'm sure he didn't really mean those things. I don't know what you said to him, but he's just generally not very nice. I would just leave him alone if I were you. And I really am sorry."

Renge stared at Haruhi for a moment. Even though she knew it was just meant as a casual comment, she could feel the sincerity in her voice.

Renge had a series of flashbacks; seeing her mother smile for the last time, the feeling of her father's rejection as he slammed the door yet again, the conversation only a few months ago:

"_Are you even trying? Can't you do better than this?!" he screamed. _

"_I'm sorry," I find myself apologizing to him again. "I'm not my mother."_

"_You're damn right you're not!" my father screams back. "Maybe if you tired a little harder to be like her, you'd do better work than this. You embarrass your name, your family. Your mother-"_

_But I'm not going to let him hit me with these words anymore. "She's dead!" my voice is raw from all the yelling, and now I'm crying. _

_He just looks disappointed as he storms out of the room._

Renge blinked back tears she had unknowingly formed in her eyes.

"Are you alright?" Haruhi asked. She looked concerned.

Renge turned back to her, and she suddenly didn't think that information was so important anymore.

"I quit," she said into the phone. "I've told them my real name. I don't want to be a part of this anymore. I promise not to tell them anything. I don't even know your plan anyways."

There was a long silence. "I think you're making a mistake," the man said quietly.

"I don't care," Kurami said. "They've been more kind to me than anyone else." She, of course, had Haruhi in mind.

"Friendship," the man said bitterly. "It's never worth it."

Kurami was getting annoyed with the psycho-serious talk. "Look, I quit and that's all there is to it."

"Okay, I accept the resignation," the man said. "I would like to shake on it though, officially. Come meet me," He gave her directions, and she warily agreed.

Kurami found herself in a weirdly dark room. The door had disappeared into the blackness as soon as she walked through it. She walked to the only light, in the center of the room.

"Kurami," the familiar voice called out.

"Where are you?" she called out, unable to find him in the darkness.

"Come into the light," he said.

She paused before doing it. "Now show yourself," she said.

"Gladly," he said. "Just answer me this; what's the real reason you won't share with me information? Does it have something to do with Haruhi?"

Kurami paused for a minute, almost bit her tongue, and yelled out, "I love him!"

The man stepped out of the darkness. "You really shouldn't have said that."

It was only a few seconds until the screaming had stopped.

**I appear to have a more regular schedule when I have a working computer. Yay!  
I have a feeling that I may need to somehow change the rating on this fanfiction. Nothing M has happened, and I'm pretty sure nothing M will happen. Unless you count horrificly gory and bloody M. **

**I think I may just keep the rating. **

**Anyways, please review! Thanks for reading!**


	5. The Twins Fight!

Hikaru awoke blearily, already disappointed with the direction of the day. He had found himself utterly bored the night before, and had shared these feelings with Kauru, who had felt the same. It had been a long time since the played on their whimsies, and they were getting tired of doing the same thing every day. Sure, at times the club could be exciting, but they couldn't help but notice they weren't getting as much attention as they would when they were acting out.

"What should we do?" Kauru asked him. They couldn't just sit around with these those of boredom; their short-attention spans couldn't take this lack of attention.

It was then Hikaru thought of something. "A little detective work, perhaps?" Kauru just looked at him, slightly confused.

Hikaru had slowly realized how long Haruhi had been attending the club, but how little they actually knew of her. For all he knew, she could be an axe-murderer. Though he couldn't be further from the truth, he knew it would be fun to mess with her a bit, and they may stumble upon blackmail, which would be even more fun. His intentions weren't necessarily cruel, but it did seem like he simply wished to mess with the new girl.

In all honesty, he was curious. She had shown up out of the blue, and it was alarming how long she'd been around while they knew so little about her. Even Kyouya was coming across difficulties founding out her history, something that had never troubled him before. Tamaki, though curious, would never bother her too much; he was aware how irritating he could be, and Hani and Mori couldn't care less.

So it was up to the twins to find out who this girl was, and what she was doing in the Host Club.

"So, Haruhi," Hikaru said, smirking in her direction as she adverted her gaze. "Are you doing anything this weekend?"

"Why does it matter to you?" she asked, sounding bored.

"Oh, it's just; Kauru and I have nothing going on. We thought we could come over and check out your place-"

"Absolutely not," Haruhi said, cutting him off.

"Aww," Kauru began to whine. "Why not?"

_Because you can't know who I am. _Haruhi thought. Aloud she said, "Because it doesn't matter. My personal life is none of your business."

"Fine," Hikaru said, approaching Hikaru again. "Then let's play the Which One is Hikaru Game! If you lose, we get to come over."

"You guys really aren't that different, you know," Haruhi said, but she was ignored as Hikaru and Kauru put on hats that would supposedly hide their identities.

Alright, Haruhi," one of the twins said. "Let's see if you can guess correctly!"

Haruhi didn't pause for more than a second. "You're Hikaru," she said, pointing to the right, "And you're Kauru," pointing to the left.

"Nope!" The twins said in unison. "You're wrong."

This didn't faze Haruhi. "No, I'm right," she said. "You guys look the same but you're really different. Not that it matters, because you're not coming to my house."

As she walked away, the twins looked at each other. "She's hiding something," Kauru said.

"Definitely," Hikaru agreed.

_Well, _Hikaru thought, _this is only a bump in the road. We don't really need her permission to sneak in. Detectives, right?_ But the more Hikaru thought about it, the more it seemed less like detective work and more like undercover work. Kauru agreed. A little change in the game would only increase the fun.

So the twins followed her home from school. They paid attention to which door she entered, figuring picking the lock would be no problem; rich people don't just spend their money on toys and houses, or insuring that these items are safe. Gotta have a way to get what you want when money won't buy it. They noticed what time a woman came in later. No one else entered of exited the house that night.

The next day, the twins weren't at school. Little effort was made to find out why they hadn't gone to school; they probably just felt like ditching, everyone figured. Kyouya, who had noticed their (very sloppy) stalking of Haruhi, found it suspicious, but kept these thoughts to himself and continued factoring on his ever-present clipboard. Or at least, I'm assuming it was factoring. Why else would a guy like Kyouya need a clipboard?

Meanwhile, the twins easily picked the lock on Haruhi's door. They knew she wouldn't be back until after school, and while they didn't know when the other woman (assuming it was Haruhi's mother) would show up, they figured she probably had a regular job and would come home at the same time as the night before.

"Kauru, you go that way," Hikaru said, pointing in the direction of the living area. "I'll go other there," he noted the small hallway with three doors and headed towards it.

Kauru opened the door to what looked like a small sitting area. It was mostly empty except for a table, some miscellaneous furniture, and what looked like a shrine in the corner. Disregarding the rest of the room, he opened the doors to the small shrine cabinet. Inside, among other things, he found two photos; one of an older woman with long brown hair and the other of two little girls, one of which looked a hell of a lot like Haruhi. The other girl looked familiar as well, but Kauru couldn't place her. Just as he almost had it figured out, he heard Hikaru call for him. He closed the doors to the cabinet, and all thoughts of the other girl were erased from his mind.

"I've got something," Hikaru said. He appeared to be in Haruhi's room. He was at her desk, and seemed to have a journal of some sort. "She has a bunch of notes. They don't make a whole lot of sense, but it looks like she's been taking notes about the school and, get this, about us. There are sets of notes for everyone."

Suddenly Kauru felt uneasy. "Maybe we should go," he said. It felt wrong to be in Haruhi's room.

"Are you kidding me?" Hikaru said. "We're so close to knowing why she's here. This could be a vital clue."

"It just doesn't seem right to sneak into her house," Kauru said, stepping out of the doorframe. "Isn't she supposed to be our friend?"

"She's just a toy, Kauru," Hikaru's voice still seemed playful. He was pleased with the results; he still thought of this as a game. But the tone and the words made something rise inside Kauru.

"How can you say that?" Kauru asked. It was a whisper, but it was intense. Hikaru looked, concerned, at Kauru.

"What do you mean, Kauru? You were on board with this idea. You were the one who said she was hiding something. She'll never find out anyways," Hikaru sounded upset, but there was definitely a tone underneath, like he was happy with the situation, in a very twisted way. "Why do you care so much? Do you love her or something?"

Kauru flinched at the words. "That's not it at all!"

"Then what is it? Want her all to yourself?" Hikaru had a mock-smile on his face. "That's not how it works, Kauru. We share our prey."

Kauru suddenly felt angry. Before, when his brother had said things like this, he just went along with it. But Haruhi was his friend, someone he cared for, and he couldn't let Hikaru say things like that about her. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" He yelled. "She's a fucking human being!"

Hikaru didn't even react to Kauru's words. "She's no better than any of the others, and she will be treated accordingly. Do you really think that treating her like a person is going to make her a better fuck?"

As he said these words, Kauru thought back to every other girl, ever since middle school, when they started playing this game; this sick, twisted game, tricking girls into their trap time and time again. They always fell for it too; all the twins did was wait for a love letter, and from there they could easily lure the innocent girls to their house, to their bedroom… And this game had gone on for years. Sure, a few girls protested, but not a single one of them ever gave them away. None of them would tell their friends about the exotic night they'd had; they wanted to feel special, like somehow they had been sought after. After a few weeks, they'd notice that the twins weren't going to respond to their messages, their letters pleading for more. It was then the girls usually realized with horror that maybe the twins were embarrassed. They had seen their share of the twins at the club, but this was a whole new level of twincest. They felt like they had boldly gone where no girl had gone before… But maybe that wasn't a good thing. They would usually leave the twins alone after that, and try to get in the pants of the rest of the Host Club.

Kauru realized that not once had he thought about playing this game with Haruhi. She wasn't like the other girls; she wasn't phony or stupid or easy in anyway. She was a real person, one who he highly respected. He had never respected a girl before, and he knew that it was important to protect her. He couldn't allow Hikaru to play this game with her.

"Hikaru," Kauru started quietly. Hikaru ignored him, focused on the notes in the journal. "Hikaru, we're leaving," he said, this time louder. Hikaru turned and glared at him.

"Why are you trying to protect her?" Hikaru asked accusingly. "All we're doing is searching her stuff to make sure she's not some kind of psycho. I'd rather not be hunted down and killed."

"She's not that kind of a person!" Kauru said, feeling more assured of himself. He had never stood up to his brother; not when he thought of the idea to use the love letters to get the girls in bed, not when he thought it would be fun to ridicule the poorer kids at school, not even when they blackmailed one of the girls in their class so much she committed suicide and they had to sneak in and destroy all the evidence. But this time, he was going to defend someone he knew was innocent. "She has personal rights to her stuff, and we shouldn't be going through it. This isn't even fun anymore. And stop talking about her like she's like the other girls. She's different. She's special."

"When did you get so fucking sentimental?" Hikaru asked, fed up with his brother's protests.

"When did you become so evil and twisted?" Kauru began getting upset. "Is this the kind of person you are now? Are we both? So disgusting and vulgar? The kind of people who sneak into their friends' houses?"

"She's not," Hikaru said slowly. "Our friend."

"She's mine," Kauru said.

Hikaru let out a breath. He was angry, more so than Kauru had ever seen him before. Kauru backed up a bit more, fearing that his brother would run to attack him.

"I guess she was right. We aren't so similar after all," Hikaru said, after a long silence.

"Is that such a bad thing?" Kauru asked.

But Hikaru had known no life other than the one in which he was always with Kauru. They had never done anything by themselves, never disagreed. They were unnaturally in sync with each other. They had never said biting words to each other; this was as close as they had ever gotten to disagreeing. Hikaru wasn't sure how to react.

"You can leave, if she's so precious to you," he said.

Kauru flinched at the words. "It's not like that-"

"It's fine, just leave. Get out. I can do this by myself," Hikaru said. He was getting louder, and Kauru then realized he was just going to continue doing what he was doing, which wasn't helping Haruhi at all.

"I'm not leaving without you. This is wrong; you need to leave," Kauru said sternly.

"I guess we have different views of right and wrong," Hikaru said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kauru said, suddenly defensive.

"It means you're choosing a girl over your brother," Hikaru responded.

Kauru was taken aback. "That's not true! I'm choosing between right and wrong."

"Just get the fuck out. I know what this is," Hikaru was angry again. "This is you deciding that a stupid girl means more than your own brother. This is who I am, and if you don't like it, you may as well say so."

"I don't," Kauru started. "Like who you've become."

"This is who I've always been!" Hikaru yelled. He threw the journal across the room. It fell open on Haruhi's bed. "I've always been like this. It's you who's changed, you who decided that I am not good enough!"

"Hikaru!" Kauru said, hurt by the accusation.

"I hate you," Hikaru said. The words were bitter and stung Kauru. He had never heard those words uttered by Hikaru, but he knew he was serious. He stormed out of the room, and out of Haruhi's apartments, and didn't see Hikaru for the rest of the night.

The next day at the Host Club, everyone could feel the tension between the twins. They pointedly ignored each other, and avoided each other when they could. They couldn't even hold decent conversations with the guest, and it became apparent that something was really wrong between the two of them.

"Kauru?" Haruhi said, approaching him. "Is something going on between you and Hikaru?"

Kauru looked at the girl who caused all this trouble, and though he wanted to be angry, couldn't think of hurting her. She hadn't done anything wrong. "We're just having an argument," Kauru said, as maturely as her could. "He's being a little immature, and I'm sure it'll blow over soon."

Haruhi told Tamaki this, and he looked surprised. When she asked why, he told her that he'd known them for a few years, and never once had an argument. It was all very strange, he told her. The rest of the Host Club tried to figure out what was going on between them, but they really encountered each other, and when they did, Hikaru often muttered "I hate you," or "I wish you'd never been born," while Kauru just looked very sadly at his brother. They figured Kauru had probably started the disagreement, but still couldn't figure out what it was about. When Haruhi tried to approach him to ask, Hikaru avoided her. In fact, he'd been avoiding her all day.

Then, near the end of the day, neither of the twins were looking and bumped into each other. This caused and explosive argument, which caught every person's attention in the club.

"You can't do anything right!" Hikaru yelled.

"Hikaru, please calm down," Kauru pleaded.

"I don't know how we are even related. There's this thing called loyalty, but you don't seem to understand that," Hikaru said. His words made little sense; he was just trying to get a rise out of Kauru.

"I know you don't mean that," Kauru said. He seemed very calm in the situation.

"Just shut up!" Hikaru yelled. "Just shut the fuck up. I hope I never have to see you again!" Hikaru then spun around and stomped out of Music Room #3. Kauru longingly watched him go. He obviously wanted to make up with his brother, but he wasn't hearing any of it. He then walked out into the hallway, out of a different door than his brother. He was gone for a long while. Hikaru eventually came back to the room, but still Kauru had not arrived. As the end of the day approached, everyone figured he had gone home. But when Hikaru went out to meet his ride, his driver informed him that he had not seen the boy leave the school. He phoned to the main mansion, where they too reported they had not seen him. The Host Club members quickly searched the school, but upon finding nothing went back to Music Room #3. It was there they found something; a bright yellow post-it note. It read:

_You've got your wish. Now you never have to see him again. If you've changed your mind, meet me in the South corridor, room 227. Come alone._

It was meant for Hikaru.

**So much for a regular schedule. Anyways, I've decided to write these chapters exclusively on my computer, instead of switvhing between my phone and computer, so they should be a little bit longer from now on. I didn't realize how short they were until I saw them posted from my computer.**

**Please review! Thanks for reading.**

**Next time: Where the Hell is Kauru? **


	6. The Twins Fight Part II

**As the story progresses, it will become less and less like OHSHC. For the purposes of this story it was necessary, and it made for a much more interesting story. Enjoy!**

"What do you mean _he's gone?!" _Hikaru yelled.

They had just found the yellow post-it note, or rather, Haruhi had. She'd read it out loud to the rest of the club. It was then passed around as every member absorbed the words written there. Hikaru was obviously stressed as he paced around the room, yelling every few moments. The club was unsure of what to do.

"What are we going to do?" Tamaki asked. The question was directed at Kyouya, who always seemed to know what to do in these situations. He looked thoughtful for a moment. They had never been in a situation quite like this, and they were going to have to be careful how they handled it.

"The obvious choice would be to meet his request," Kyouya answered. Haruhi turned to him in outrage.

"Are you crazy?" she said. "It could be the same guy as last year. He could easily kill the both of them."

"I don't care," Hikaru said. "He's my brother, and I have to get him back. I can just sit around and do nothing."

"You two were just arguing not an hour ago," Tamaki said. Hikaru turned towards him. His face was filled with pain, contorted with guilt.

"Do you think I don't know that?" Hikaru asked. "None of it matters now; he's my brother."

"You could die!" Haruhi yelled.

"I. Don't. Care," Hikaru responded.

"Let's think about this clearly," Kyouya said. "We don't really know who left the note. We're assuming it's the same guy from last year, striking again. The school is disserted, so it's the best time to meet with this guy. As long as we're not seen, we should be able to hide ourselves from him. We can put tracking devises and mics on Hikaru, so we can follow them wherever they go. From there, we can call the police," he cleared his throat. "This man has hurt a lot of people, and we cannot handle him on our own. Once we know the location, it should be easy to surround him."

Everyone agreed that it was a good plan, and began to execute it immediately. They first bugged Hikaru, and then set up communications between every one. It was decided that Mori would stay behind, since he was the most experienced with this technology, and watch everyone's movements on his digital map of the school. Hani stayed with him. Tamaki and Haruhi decided to stay together; Haruhi had never done this sort of thing before, and didn't want to get stuck with Kyouya, who she secretly feared. After all, she still didn't know if these guys were in the clear or not, and Kyouya seemed to be the mastermind behind the entire operation. Tamaki was harmless in comparison.

They all took off. Hikaru would go the most direct route, following behind Tamaki, Haruhi and Kyouya, who would all be at separate ends of the corridor. Hikaru backed himself up against a wall, keeping all sides clear. Suddenly, a figure dressed in all black turned a corner and walked towards him. He had a cloak covering his face and body, so when it walked he appeared to be floating. The affect was supposed to be intimating, and it worked.

"Come with me," the figure said. Hikaru couldn't see his face, and noticed how short he was. Hikaru had expected maybe a huge body guard, but if they sent someone so small, it could mean that he was very powerful. Hikaru had heard mutterings of black magic around the school, but had never really believed them. If this was the intricate workings of the unknown killer the year before, it was possible that this small being was full of power.

"What have they done to my brother?" Hikaru said.

"Nothing, they haven't harmed him. They're waiting for you," the figure's voice cracked as he said this. Hikaru found himself rethinking the power theory.

"Are you just a kid?" Hikaru said, wondering what the hell was going on.

"No!" the boy said, his voice much higher than it had been before. He struggled to take it down again as he said, "I mean, no. You need to follow me if you ever want to see your brother again."

Suddenly Hikaru grabbed the shadowy cloak and ripped it away, revealing a young boy dressed in a grade school uniform, who looked no older than 10. The boy's face turned from shock to anger as he reached for his cloak. Hikaru kept him at arm's length.

"Give it back!" the boy whined, obviously giving up on his voice. Hikaru was appalled. A little boy was involved in this? Could it really be the man who committed the murders, or was this some kind of sick twisted joke?

"Why the hell are you?" Hikaru asked the boy. He sat near the taller boy's feet, exhausted from jumping for the cloak. He didn't seem pleased to be there.

"My name is Shiro Takaoji. All I'm supposed to do is take you to the master, okay?" Shiro said, in a desperate voice.

"Why?" Hikaru asked. It covered all his questions; why a boy? Where was his brother? Who the hell was the master? But as he asked this, the boy's face twisted in pain.

"He's… he's got my friend. I can only get her back if I bring you to him. If I don't he'll kill her," Shiro began to cry as he said this, then grabbed onto Hikaru's leg. "Please. Please come with me."

Hikaru knelt down and gently removed the boy from his leg. Haruhi, who had been watching the entire scene play out, had never seen Hikaru do something so sensitive. It seemed in great contrast to his actions earlier, and she began to rethink his character. "Alright," Hikaru said. "I'll go with you. Do you know why he wants me?" the boy stood up as he shook his head.

"Well then, I guess…" Hikaru almost smiled, in spite of himself, as he said, "Take me to your leader."

"What are we going to do?" Haruhi asked Tamaki, who had shot off towards her as soon as Hikaru and Shiro were out of sight.

"We follow them," he said to her, taking out his communicator. "Mori, Hani," he said into it. "Do you have their location? Where are the leaded?"

"Down the southwest staircase," Mori responded a second later. Tamaki grabbed Haruhi's arm, and they ran off in the direction Hikaru had gone.

"Is this safe?" Haruhi asked, out of breath, as they were about to round a corner.

Tamaki didn't even turn back to look at her. "Don't know. Don't care," after he checked to make sure the two were out of sight so they wouldn't be seen by Shiro, he turned to Haruhi, only for a second. "They're two of my best friends. I can't let anything happen to them."

They followed Mori's instructions, down a staircase, making a left at a hallway, and then a right, until they stood in front of a doorway that was only closed a few seconds prior.

"Are we really going to go right through the front door?" Haruhi asked him. It all seemed to easy to her.

Tamaki seemed determined, and very sure of himself. "Mori has already alerted the police," he gave her a reassuring smile. "We'll be okay."

Together, they opened the door.

Haruhi remembered finding out what had happened to her sister. November 5th was a regular afternoon. He father had gotten out of work early, and was sitting at the kitchen table, reading yet another romance novel. Nanami had called the night before, saying she'd be staying over at a friend's house. They'd expected her home by now, but they didn't have any plans anyways. Her father disproved of her "trashy" new friends, but Haruhi convinced him that she was fine, she was smart, and nothing bad would happen to her.

Haruhi had been talking to her mother's picture when someone knocked on the door. She told her mother she'd be right back, and called to her father that she'd get the door. He said it was probably one of Nanami's stupid friends returning her home drunk. Haruhi rolled her eyes. She knew her sister would be smarter than to get herself stupid drunk; their father would have a heart attack if she'd come home with a hangover.

She sighed and opened the door. Two policemen stood there. They were both rather young, probably no older than her father. One looked sad, but the other appeared calm and unconcerned.

"Can I help you?" Haruhi asked, confused. She thought her sister would be able to keep herself out of trouble. _What's she done this time? _Haruhi thought.

"Actually, miss…" said the sad one. "I'm so sorry for your loss." He handed her an envelope.

A few minutes later, Haruhi walked into the kitchen. Her father's back was to her, so he couldn't see what was going on. He didn't see the open letter in her hand, nor the tears already streaming down her face. Moreover, he couldn't see the confusion, anger, and raw pain she felt by the words printed on the paper, words that seemed so factual, without emotion.

When she didn't respond, her father said, "Haruhi?" When she began sniffling, he turned around. Seeing the tears, he looked concerned. "Haruhi's what's wrong?"

"She's… she's…" no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the words out. She fell to the floor as her father walked towards her. He picked up the letter, read it, and began crying as well. Never again did Haruhi think she'd feel this kind of pain. Who would guess that, just a few years after her mother died, her sister would too? A rush of confusion washed over her as she thought of what kind of despicable person would kill her beautiful sister, one who she'd always admired. Though Haruhi rarely said it, she loved her sister. She loved how she had woke her up the morning before, earlier than necessary, to tell her all about how it was finally _the day_, the day she'd tell her one true love how she really felt. She loved how excited her sister had been to go to such an elite school, even though in spite of their lifestyle Haruhi tried to be as normal as possible.

Flashbacks rolled. Grade school, when a boy poured juice down Haruhi's uniform, and her sister came down from the middle school to tell him to knock it off. When their mother died, and Nanami held back tears to comfort Haruhi. Their father had kept to himself, and Haruhi, only a little girl, didn't understand why her mother couldn't just come home. Nanami took her role as Haruhi's big sister very seriously, always talking about boys and friends with her, in hope that one day Haruhi would ask her for advice. Sure, she could get caught up in her own stuff, but she never forgot about her little sister waiting at home. Even when she started hanging out with her "trashy" friends and going to rich kids' parties, she always kept the details to herself, reminding Haruhi not to get caught up in the moment, to be careful of friends, and to not make stupid decisions. Nanami had made some stupid decisions, but she hoped Haruhi would learn from them. Haruhi took little interest in boys or the politics of popularity, and still she and her sister had a unique bond, one that couldn't be broken.

Or at least, Haruhi assumed it couldn't be broken. She never expected her sister to be so unfairly ripped away from her so soon after her mother had been. It was too much to take all at once. Then of course there was the issue of never finding the murderer. Haruhi cried tears of both pain and of confusion.

Everything after that was a blur. A funeral with an empty casket. Numerous days locked in her room. Trying to remember things Nanami had said, things she did, the way she smiled.

These images would haunt Haruhi's mind forever.

**Alright, so I tried to make it a bit of a cliffhanger. Not so much the end, but at the part when they open the door. Every time I come back to this I have more fun writing it, so I hope you (the reader) had fun reading it. Please review! **


	7. SOS

Tamaki and Haruhi found themselves standing in an empty room.

Tamaki panicked right away, calling in to Mori, trying to find a location. Haruhi just froze in the doorway. The room was dark and shadowy, like it hadn't been occupied for many years. She stepped just outside the room to see what it was called: Study Room #5. Then she stepped back in the room, coughing because of the dust in the air. _There's no way they could've gone in this room,_ Haruhi thought. _There's an inch of dust coating the ground and not even one foot print. _She made a more interesting discovery when she took another step forward, but her thoughts were interrupted when Tamaki began yelling.

"There's no way that the device could be in that room!" He yelled. "There's no one in it, and there hasn't been for years!"

Haruhi bent over to pick up the small object that she had almost stepped on. Recognizing it, she held it up so Tamaki could see. He looked sadly at the device in her hand.

"You're right, Mori," he said. "Haruhi just found the device. There's nothing wrong with the computer; they just debugged him." He then slid the phone back into his pocket and looked sadly back at Haruhi. "What are we going to do? That was our only way of finding him." He sounded like he had already lost all hope. Haruhi spotted something behind him

"Don't give up hope yet," Haruhi said, pointing at yet another post-it note, this time stuck to a wall across from the room. Tamaki walked over to it, and read it aloud.

"Nice try, Host Club. You cannot so easily discover us. Meet us at a new location if you want to see your friends again," he said, then read the address. Haruhi didn't recognize it. But while he read, she realized that she hadn't seen Kyouya in a while. In fact, she hadn't seen or heard from him since the boy appeared to take Hikaru.

"Tamaki," Haruhi said slowly. "Where's Kyouya?"

Tamaki paused and looked around, then whipped out his cell phone. He quickly dialed a number, but instead of ringing it went straight to voice mail. "I don't know. He was here earlier," Tamaki said. "Maybe he had somewhere to be."

Haruhi no doubt found it suspicious that Kyouya had "wandered off" while everyone else looked for Hikaru and Kauru. Could it be that he didn't care that much? Then Haruhi had an even worse realization. What if Kyouya was a part of this? After the last few weeks, Haruhi had forgotten her cause for coming to this school. Meeting the Host Club, seeing how good of a person Tamaki was especially, Haruhi had forgotten that when she came to the school she had been convinced that the Host Club was behind the murder of her sister, and many others. How could she so easily forget? But she knew that she couldn't ever really believe that Tamaki had any involvement, not since she had seen him cry over the death of Yabu's daughter. But Kyouya was still a wild card. Was he truly evil enough to be behind murder? It was difficult to imagine him doing something so messy, but if he had enough motives, Haruhi believed he would do anything. Besides, wandering off and turning off his phone didn't seem like normal Kyouya behavior.

As Haruhi mulled this over, Tamaki quickly talked with the remaining two members of the club. The note had been signed _Host Members only, _and seeing how easily they figured out their plan,. They thought it would be best to call off the police and deal with this on their own. Kyouya was no longer around to tell them this was a bad idea; you shouldn't ever do exactly what the enemy tells you to. Suddenly Haruhi found herself being dragged back to Music Room #3, where the other three would discuss the plan while she was staring off into space, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

"Hey Haruhi?" a voice called, pulling her out of her daze. She looked up and found Tamaki staring at her. His eyes were concerned. "Kyouya got back to me. He said he got a sudden phone call from his father, and figured we had the situation under control. He said he'll try to get back as soon as possible, but he's not sure when that will be." He knelt down beside her, as if she were a child. "Are you ready to go?"

"Go?" Haruhi repeated.

"Yes, we're going to go get the twins now. You don't have to come, but we figured it would be best to have the most amount of people possible, and we can't take anyone else," Tamaki stood back up, and offered her his hand to help her up. "Are you coming?"

She nodded and took his hand.

Or at least, she thought she had. She suddenly found herself falling backwards, staring up at nothing, surrounded in darkness. She didn't remember hitting the floor, but she was now sitting on a cold, hard floor. Her eyes tried to adjust to the darkness, but it was so absolute it only confused her more. All of a sudden a light flashed to her left, drawing her attention to it. In a single spotlight stood a man, one Haruhi had only seen once before. The masked man from the ball.

"Who are you?" Haruhi tried to call out. Her throat felt dry, like she hadn't spoken in hours.

What sounded like a laugh echoed in the emptiness of the room. "My dear, do you not remember?"

"You're from the ball," Haruhi said. She was confused and slightly irritated. She wanted answers.

"Yes," said the man. He took a step forward, and the light followed.

Haruhi turned her head desperately, trying to figure out the layout of the room, a door, anything. All she could see was the single spotlight, and it acted in a way that she had never seen light act before. It didn't reflect, nor illuminate the space around it. "Where are we?" Haruhi asked, fearing the answer.

The man paused for a moment, as if thinking about the answer. "It is hard to say. This is my land, but it is also yours. We are in your head, but inside of my palace. Magic is a complicated thing."

"Magic?" Haruhi asked. She had heard of card tricks and such, but nothing as complicated as moving a person from one place to the other. The light trick was most likely magic as well.

"One day you may understand. I have great plans for you, my dear," at these words, Haruhi looked at the man. She studied his face and his clothes. It was the same mask from before, the same slicked back hair, although the color was impossible to decide, as with each shift in his body it shown a different color; sometimes black, sometimes blonde, and sometimes a red a dark as blood. He wore a black cape and a suit only a rich person would wear. It was all very Victorian, but it gave Haruhi no clue as to who this man might be.

Haruhi unexpectedly felt drowsy, and felt the urge to lie on the floor. As she got into this position, the man sighed. "It's never easy to communicate this way. Magic is a special drug, all by itself. Especially the sort I practice. Most would call it black magic or dark magic, but I believe there is simply too much beauty to it for such deceiving names. I mustn't get into it now, for I did come to tell you a message."

Haruhi's eyes had been slowly closing, but as he spoke the last word she opened them, as if she knew the importance in this massage. "They now, Haruhi," the man said. "They know how much you know about them. I know they seem like such good people, but they are murderers. They killed your sister, Haruhi. And they're going to kill you, too. Don't worry, my love, I won't let them hurt you. For now, I've cast a special spell, one to keep you safe," the man suddenly appeared at Haruhi's side, cradling her head in his lap. "They won't hurt you, I promise." He slowly leaned in and kissed her softly. Haruhi swore she heard a soft whisper of "I love you," before she found herself being shaken violently.

"Haruhi!" she heard Tamaki's voice say. "Are you okay?"

She opened her eyes. It felt like she had been asleep for hours. _What the hell kind of dream was that?_ she asked herself. She was lying on the floor, and her arm and side hurt, as if she'd fallen on them. As she was informed, she had. Apparently she had passed out as they were on their way out of the room. Everyone surrounded her, obviously concerned. Tamaki's eyes looked panicked. He had probably jumped to the worst possible solution.

The dream came back to Haruhi in bits and pieces. First she remembered the man and the kiss, and how real the room had felt. She remembered something about magic and a spell the keep her safe and then… She pushed herself out of Tamaki's arms as she remembered the part about the Host Club killing her sister. Of course, it was just a dream, or so she tried to tell herself. It felt so real; it was hard to convince herself that it was just a dream.

She thought back to the night at the dance, and realized that when the man had said, "I know you're secret," he hadn't just meant about her gender; he meant he knew everything. The more Haruhi thought about it, the more she grasped that maybe it wasn't a dream. Her mother always believed in omens, and though Haruhi thought they were crazy, they were often right. Maybe Haruhi had been wrong after all.

Then again, she'd never heard of anyone having a vision like the one she had. She had to decide: dream or vision?

She found herself being pulled along to a car waiting outside to take them to where Hikaru and Kauru were. What kind of people just get kidnapped like that? Normal people don't get captured. People that got captured on a personal level like these were people in deep shit. Multiple murders could very well be deep shit.

Vision, Haruhi decided, and she would start being more careful about what she said and did around them. She couldn't be so easily fooled by their tears and their lies. She figured the safest thing to do would be burn all of her notebooks and such, erase all evidence of her findings, just in case they decided to break into her house. She wasn't aware that she was just a day too late. From there she would have to convince them that she knew nothing. She had to live to carry on researching.

She let out a sigh, knowing how much work she was going to have to make up for. After all, she'd stopped taking notes almost 2 weeks ago. As she thought about this, she was careful not to let her guard down. She tried to inconspicuously watch them, while also not getting too caught up in her thoughts to miss what they were saying. Not that they were saying much. They were nearing their location, and the vehicle had fallen silent.

Haruhi shifted in her seat, and felt something in her pocket. She pulled it out, and discovered a folding sheet of paper. Figuring it was probably safe to read it since she had chosen a seat near the far end of the car, away from the boys, she unfolded it, and read:

_My Dear Haruhi,_

_ There was much I didn't have time to tell you in our last encounter. Firstly, I should explain a few things. My name is still unknown to you, and for good reason; there have been recent rumors spend about my family, none of which are true. I think so highly of you, being such a brave soul, and I didn't want to taint our relationship with the nasty lies people spread. I also know I will be of more help to you if no one knows my name. I'm sure you can figure out why. _

_ Secondly, I want to tell you why I want to help you. Of course, there are the feelings I have for you, which rose so quickly I can barely contain them. But you are not the only one whose family has been torn apart by the Host Club; my sister was one of the murdered last year. She was so young, so undeserving of death, just like all the others killed last year. She was so sweet, kind, and happy, it is hard to think that anyone would want to harm her. I feel, as you do, that these bastards need to be locked up for all eternity for what they have done. _

_ I am sorry that I cannot reveal to you more about myself, though I hope when this awful, horrible mess is over and this crime is accounted for, we can get to know each other better. I greatly admire your courage, as I have since the day I received the pleasure of meeting you. _

_ I hope to see you soon,_

_ M._

Haruhi finished the letter just as they arrived at the location of Kauru and Hikaru. It was all so confusing and emotional; it was hard to even see straight lines. It was nice to finally give some sort of name to a face… or the parts of his face he could see though the mask.

Haruhi got out of the car, facing the possibility of danger, and knew one thing was clear; there was most definitely something wrong, and she was going to get to the bottom of it.


	8. SOS Part II

The four remaining hosts stood in front of an abandoned building. It was rather large, and must have been some sort of resort; it had Seiji's Water Center printed on a faded sign. On the side of the building there looked to be an empty pool, along with water slides coming out from the resort. It wasn't extremely old, but it was definitely not taken care of, and the roof was caving in. All in all it looked like a dangerously unkempt building, and Haruhi wondered how safe to actually enter it.

"What's the plan?" Haruhi asked Tamaki. With her thoughts so muddled, it was hard to have an opinion on the situation. She thought it might be best to get out of this mess before thinking everything through. She pushed all thoughts of the masked man, M, and his letter out of her mind. For now, she would have to focus.

"Well," Tamaki began. "It's less like a plan, and more like a loosely structured, disorganized list. A list that consists of two things; get the twins, and get out alive. I'm sure the small details will work themselves out." As he said this, Haruhi couldn't help but stop and stare. She had heard him be an over-dramatic selfish bastard, and she'd seen him be a scared, whiny little kid. She'd even seen him cry, but she'd never seen him so seriously determined, never so obviously frightened but resolute all the same. It was a level of mature that she didn't expect from him. He was so emotional that he easy got carried away, but for once he was focused on the matter at hand. He didn't seem so self-concerned, at least for the moment.

Still, it was a terrible plan. They were going to waltz in the front door, and everything would be okay. No matter what, Tamaki seemed to have a childish sense of equality; like the world would always be fair and everyone would play be the rules. In his mind, they had done what the enemy had wanted, and now he would return the favor, or better yet, the twins.

No one questioned this plan, knowing there really wasn't a better one. As they walked towards the door, Haruhi became more and more aware of Kyouya's absence, and how suspicious it was. Why would Kyouya be whisked away just as Hikaru disappeared? She shook her head; there was no time to speculate when they had such an urgent matter at hand.

There was a collective holding of breath as the stood in front of the door to the run down building. Tamaki, taking the role of leader very seriously, opened the door. It was dark inside; most of the windows had been nailed shut, and dusk was approaching as well. When Tamaki drew out a box of matches, Haruhi didn't question it. She figured he smoked anyway, as she made many assumptions about the rich. He struck a match, and though it didn't give them much light, they managed to avoid bumping into walls as they made their way through the lobby part of the building. Just as the second match was burning out, something began glowing not too far away. It grew larger as they got closer, and became the shape of a person. Though it had a human shape, the thing did not seem human. Its eyes were stitched closed, and scabs surrounded its mouth and nose. Or what was left of the nose; they skin had been torn away, leaving the bone exposed. It was hard to look away from the face, but Haruhi tore her eyes away to find that its body was just as abnormal. One arm was longer than the other, and its body was wrapped in shards of cloth, as if they had been originally clothes but had been ripped and torn. Its fingernails were long and curved, and looked yellow in the glow. Its genitals, hanging out between pieces of cloth, proved it to be some kind of male. There was dried blood down its legs, along with long cuts and scratches, probably caused by the thing's fingernails. There was an appalling scent of death and dead flesh in the air around the thing. It was like some sort of dilapidated Frankenstein's monster.

It gestured with its longer arm's hand for them to follow it. Haruhi, who had frozen from fear, was brought back by someone's hand pressed into her's. She jumped, but when she looked over she found Tamaki looking reassuringly towards her. He nodded, silently asking if she was okay, and she nodded back. Then together the four of them follow the reeking devil spawn deep into the building, down flights of stairs. They followed it by its glow, staying as far back as possible from the disgusting smell of rotting flesh. They arrived in a dark room, where the glowing creature gestured for them to stay, then walked away, leaving the room pitch black with a soft thump of a closed door. They didn't say a word, too afraid to even whisper. Another hand reached for Haruhi's. She guessed it was Hani as the figured pressed its body against her's. He laid his head in the crook of her elbow, and she could feel him shaking. They all turned their head in response to the sound of a door opening, but there was no light to see the figure.

Suddenly, a single light bulb flared to light. It swung from side to side, giving a frightening affect to the figure in the center of the room. It was a man in a cloak much like the one the boy was wearing. It was impossible to make out any features, but he was very tall, taller than Mori. Haruhi tightened her grip in Tamaki's hand.

"Thank you for coming," the man said. His voice was deep but wispy. He sounded delighted. "And so punctual!" he laughed, and Haruhi could feel it echo in her head. The voice didn't seem to come from the figure at all, but from every side of the room. It was like he was everywhere, and inside her head.

It was Tamaki who found the courage to speak. "We've come for our friends. We've come like you asked, now please return them to us."

The figure laughed again. "Oh no," he said. "I've not even made my request yet. I thought it'd be best to do it in person."

"What do you want?!" This voice was unexpected. It was Hani, and his voice was wavering. Haruhi looked down to the figure attached to her arm, but didn't find him. Instead, a small dark figured stood, a girl. She looked like a child. Haruhi almost asked what she was doing there, but just as she was about to, the figure looked up. Haruhi let out a scream.

It was the face of a child, but one eye was larger than the other. The smaller of the two was half closed. The girl's lips were black, and fangs protruded from her bottom lip. She had bitten through her top lip, and it was torn to shreds. As Haruhi tried to shake her off, her grip tightened. What could only be described as a smile spread across the girl's face. Then she opened her mouth as if to bite her, but just as she was about to strike, the figure in the center of the room cleared his throat. The girl looked at him.

"Akuma!" He called out. She girl released her grip on Haruhi's arm and slunk back into the darkness. "You'll have to forgive my sister. She's still learning how to behave in her new form."

Haruhi looked down at her arm, and found long scratch marks from where the girl's nails dug into her skin. She wanted to puke. _Demon,_ Haruhi thought, referring to the name the man had called his "sister".

"Back to the matter at hand," the man said. "This was just a warning to you all. My workings here are far beyond your comprehension, and one of you has been searching too deeply." Haruhi felt the bile rise back up her throat. They were here because of her research in the Host Club and the murderers. She wondered if the figure in the center of the room was Kyouya, or another one of his followers. But if it was the Host Club behind the murders, why would they all be here? Why would Hikaru and Kauru be captured? Was it an elaborate hoax? Or perhaps only Kyouya was behind the murders.

Haruhi was again forgetting to look at the whole picture. There was still a possibility that the Host Club had nothing to do with the murders, and that it was simply that their guests and associates were targeted.

"I will release your friends back to you," the figure said. "As long as you all swear not to delve into this again."

"We don't even know what you're talking about!" Tamaki yelled.

"One of you does," the man said. "So you all must swear."

"We swear," Tamaki said. As soon as he said this, Haruhi felt he body grow heavy. The light went out, and the room began to shake. She could faintly hear three distinct thumps before she felt her body hit the ground. It didn't hurt, but she could feel the jolt run through her. The room had already gone black, so she wasn't quite sure when her consciousness went black as well, but she was suddenly immersed in a dream like none she had ever had before.

Her mother stood in front of her. She was beautiful, as she always had been. Haruhi had her long brown hair once as well, and their eyes matched. Nanami's hair was darker, like her father's, and her eyes were amazingly blue, though no one could say where she got them. When Haruhi and her mother were together, their similarity was unmistakable, and Nanami had once admitted she felt a tad jealous of her sister.

Haruhi's mother stood before her, and Haruhi felt as if she had been transformed into a little girl again. She felt like a small 5 year old who just missed her mother. She began to run towards her open arms, but as she felt herself drawing near, the distance between them grew even further. She began running faster, but as she did her mother began to change. Wrinkles grew into her skin, and her arms fell to her sides, as if she couldn't hold them up anymore. Then her color began to fade, her skin turning grey. Haruhi then watched in horror as her cheeks were sucked inward, pulling the skin from her face and making her eyes appear to be bulging. Bones became clear in her arms, and she collapsed onto her knees. As she ran toward her mother, she began to rot in front of her eyes; blood poured from her lips and her hair grew long and brittle. Her fingernails grew out too, and she began ripping at her clothes. Black blood began flooding from her open wounds, and she began to look like one of the awful creatures Haruhi had earlier seen. Just as her mother's skin began to peel off her face, Haruhi's attention was drawn elsewhere; to her sister, not so far away. She looked as she did the last day Haruhi saw her, wearing an Ouran girl's uniform, a yellow dress. But now the dress was ripped at the bottom, as it someone had torn it away in haste. She was bleeding from what looked like knife wounds, and chunks of her hair had been pulled out. She turned to Haruhi in a look of pure terror and whispered, "Help me."

Haruhi awoke with a scream. She wasn't sure where exactly she was, but she knew it was a bed. She leaned over the side and puked, but only bile came out. Her throat was dry, and she was soaked in sweat. Her short hair was matted to her head, and her heart was beating too fast for her to even think. She began to hyperventilate as someone appeared in the doorway. It was Tamaki. He rushed into the room, and, avoiding the puke, made his way to Haruhi's bedside. He sat on the edge and pulled her into his arms, stroking her back in a very comforting motherly way. Haruhi's breathing slowed, and she tried to stagger out an apology, but Tamaki just shhh-d it away. When she felt confident in her breathing, she easily pushed her way out of his arms. She blushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry," she said finally after an awkward moment of staring.

"It's alright, he said.

"It's just-" Haruhi began, but Tamaki cut her off.

"You don't need to explain. It was terrifying, and everyone woke up that way," he said. "Don't worry, we'll get this mess cleaned up, and get you some food. You haven't eaten in 3 days."

"I've been asleep for 3 days?!" Haruhi said. She noticed it was daylight and thought it was just the day after, but Tamaki nodded.

"Everyone woke up at different times. The drugs affect people differently," he explained, though Haruhi was more confused.

"Drugs?" she asked.

"That's why we all passed out so suddenly," Tamaki explained. "It appears they gave us some sort of strong sleeping gas. I woke up in the car ride home, and Mori woke up not long after. The twins had needle marks, and they were given something stronger. They woke up a few hours ago. Hani is still out. We had a doctor check to make sure everyone was okay, and he said that the drugs lasted longer on you and Hani because of the proportion of your body mass. It was just by chance that I woke up before Mori. According to our driver, someone had dragged us out to the car, and he put us inside."

"Does he know what they looked like?" Haruhi asked, knowing it was a stupid question.

"Cloak," Tamaki said, and explained that. It might not have been the same man, but it seemed simple enough to wear a cloak in front of the driver.

"Where am I?" Haruhi asked. The room was fancier than she had ever seen.

"One of my family's mansions. It's not the estate, since I'm not allowed to live there. It's mostly where I live," Tamaki said. Haruhi expected him to shrug like it was no big deal, but he actually seemed appreciative of his place. _I guess I don't know everything about rich people, _Haruhi thought, though she was starting to believe Tamaki was more than just another rich person. They heard a scream coming from nearby. Tamaki smiled sadly. "I guess Hani's up."

He got up to leave the room, and just as he was about to turn the corner, Haruhi shouted out, "Hey!" Tamaki turned back to look at her. She blushed again, embarrassed about what she was going to say. "Thank you," she said quickly, then added, "For holding my hand. I was… really scared." She had been staring down the corner of the bed, but now that the worst of it was out, she looked back up at him. "So thank you."

He smiled that same sad smile, and nodded his head. He wasn't sure exactly how to respond to this, but the nod was plenty enough for Haruhi. As he left the room, she fell back on the bed. She sighed, and her first thought was, _I need to brush my teeth. _But after this, she began replaying the events of 3 days prior, now taking note of the small things that Tamaki had done. She lined these up with memories from the past few months, and all she could think was, _He's really something else. _And though she knew she should get up and talk with everyone else about what had happened, she stayed in this position for a rather long time, entirely caught up in her thoughts, and when she finally stumbled out of bed, avoiding the now-dried puke, she thought about what it would take to change that _something else_ into _something special._

**I don't know about you, but Haruhi's dream might give me nightmares. This is by far my favorite chapter. Tell me what you think. Although I'm pretty sure where I'm going with this, feel free to make suggestions. I'm not sure I'll get to post for a bit; my schedule's pretty full this week, but I'll try to keep this updated. Please review!**


	9. The Sun, The Sea, and the Host Club

Haruhi took a deep breath, letting the salty smell of the ocean wash over her. With the sand between her toes, she sighed. She'd always loved the ocean, the whole enormity of it, the way that it teemed with life and was like a living organism on its own. There was something about the way the waves tumbled onto the shore, so gracefully. She loved how natural it was, untouched by the evils of the city.

"So, why are we here again?" Kauru asked for the hundredth time. He said that he had no recollection of what had happened only the week before, and Hikaru wouldn't talk about it. Something in his eyes said he had seen things he wished he hadn't.

It was Kyouya who planned the trip. He explained everything when he returned to school two days later. Apparently his father had called him, telling him he needed to come home quickly, and that it was of high importance. When they asked him what had happened, he said it was a private family matter. The rest of the Host Club accepted this answer, but Haruhi wasn't so convinced. It just seemed too untimely to be coincidental, and he couldn't reveal to them what was going on because it was a "private family matter"? Anyways, Tamaki had explained everything that happened. Everyone knew they needed to get everything figured out, but they were all too frustrated and exhausted to concentrate. Kyouya proposed that they take a trip to the beach to relax. Haruhi saw it as a time to get some answers from Kyouya, but she really did love the beach.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Haruhi heard Tamaki approach her. She drew her eyes away from the beach to see him staring at her. She didn't respond, and they both studied the waves and the sound of the ocean, and how close they were standing next to each other. Ever since they had gone to save the twins, she didn't know what to make of Tamaki. Even though the masked man had her convinced it was them, even though Kyouya's business trip story was suspicious… just being there at the beach, knowing what she did about Tamaki, she just couldn't believe him doing anything so evil. She tried to convince herself to think about all the evidence she had stacked up against them… when she realized she didn't have any. She didn't have a goddamn clue who killed her sister. That made her uncertain, confused, and a little pissed off. She'd failed in her goal to discover what really happened to her sister.

And then, and she stared out into the ocean, the strangest thing happened; she could hear a voice calling out to her, and it sounded like her sister's. She couldn't quite hear the voice, but she knew what her sister would say; to unwind just for one day, to pretend everything was normal just for one day, to allow herself just a few hours of happiness.

It made her smile, just a bit, and she turned to Tamaki and said, "It truly is."

They stood that way, facing each other, just for a moment. Then a voice yelled out, "Hey, Tamaki, Haruhi!" It was Hikaru. "How 'bout you stop getting lost in each other's eyes long enough to play a game of volleyball?"

Haruhi felt her face turn bright red, but Tamaki grabbed her hand, and began pulling her along. "Come on," he said. "It'll be fun."

And it was. The Host Club, finally all together again, had a great time on the beach. Haruhi played volleyball, ran in the ocean, and generally enjoyed what the beach had to offer. As the sun was setting, Haruhi crashed on the sand, exhausted. Tamaki sat down next to her. The other Host members sat farther away, suspecting that something would happen between the two of them and wanting to give them space.

"I told you it'd be fun," Tamaki said with a smile.

"You were right," she said, smiling back. She sat up to be more level with him. Today made her forget, at least for a little while, all the bad things that had happened to them. She decided to push the mind-numbing questions away for a while, and even managed to be kind to Kyouya. But as the excitement of the day subsided, the thoughts returned.

"Why do you look like that?" Tamaki asked, interrupting her thoughts.

The question surprised her. "Like what?" she said, confused.

"So sad. Like you've lost something," his voice was melancholy as her looked, concerned, at her. "Something you can't get back."

Haruhi bit her bottom lip. "Sorry, Senpai. I don't try to look sad—"

"Don't apologize," Tamaki said, interrupting her. "Just tell me what's wrong."

Haruhi sighed. "My mother died when I was young."

"I already knew that," Tamaki said. "Something in your eyes tells me it's something else. Something more recent. The pain is still raw," Haruhi looked away, but Tamaki's hand on her cheek brought her face back. "You can tell me."

Looking into his eyes, she knew she could. She trusted him. Something in her core, her spirit, was telling her to trust him. She knew that it was risky, telling him the truth about her sister and her past. She'd have to explain everything to him. Despite this, she opened her mouth, and urged out the words, "My—"

"You guys, look out!" Hikaru's voice called from further down the beach, startling them both. They looked around for a second before noticing a large shadowy figure approaching. Haruhi screamed as a cloaked hand reached out and grabbed her. She saw the panic in Tamaki's eyes before the beach faded away to nothing, and she found herself emerged, as she so often had, in darkness.

"Let me go, you creep!" Haruhi yelled, pushing the hand away from her.

"Haruhi, my dear," said a familiar voice. "Do you not remember me?"

A masked face was revealed as a dark cloak was pulled off. The man was recognized by Haruhi. Her heart beat faster, remembering their last encounter. "Why would you kidnap me like that?"

"I technically haven't," The man said. Seeing her confusion he added, "Haven't I already explained this? We are in your head. Your body is still on the beach. This way we can meet in secret. I needed to remind you. To help you stay on task. You know what they did."

"I'm not so sure that they did it anymore," Haruhi said. The single light bulb hanging over her head cast a creepy shadow on the mask. She suddenly felt more fear for the man than she had for the Host Club.

"That's what they do," the man said. He knelt down in front of her. "They make you trust them, believe in them. And then they kill you. Don't fall into their trap, Haruhi. Remember what they did to your sister, and to countless others? They will do it to you. Do not let them fool you."

"If you already know that they did it," Haruhi said slowly, "Why don't you turn them in? Or confront them? Why do I need to find the evidence on my own?"

The man sighed and thought for a moment. "I suppose I've assumed too much from you. I will help you, as much as I can." He looked at her, his bright eyes shining through the mask. "I cannot go to the police. I've been accused of a crime I did not commit. If I were to confront them, they wouldn't listen to me, no matter how solid my evidence," The man held out a stack of papers. He seemed to have grabbed them from out of nowhere. He placed it in her lap. "These are the files I've collected on each of the Host members. You'll notice that Tamaki, the guy you were just about to spill your guts to, has the largest folder. He is," The man said slowly, "the worst of them."

Haruhi looked at the files in shock. She'd begun to suspect that the masked man was crazy, but if these files were legitimate, then Haruhi would finally have the leads she'd been looking for. But she had a painful feeling in her stomach at the accusation of Tamaki. She'd just been staring into his eyes, about to tell him everything she'd been lying about. If these records were real then Tamaki… Tamaki was a murderer. Haruhi felt like throwing up.

Then a thought came over her. "If you were wrongly accused of something, then you would want to be absolutely positive of the facts before accusing someone else, right?"

"Haruhi," the man said. "I know these things to be true. The Host Club committed murder, and they should have justice rain down upon them. I wouldn't lie to you," She knew he was looking straight into her eyes when he said, "Because I love you."

The world start to swim around her, the man's face turning to nothing but a blur. She felt her eyes opening, and found herself looking at the ceiling of her hotel room. She felt groggy, like she'd been sleeping for hours. She looked around the room with very few thoughts in her head. She knew she should have been freaking out and feeling confused, but she let herself have a peaceful moment. She got out of the bed and decided to take a bath. She needed time to think things over thoroughly before she did anything.

The water was warm and relaxing. When she had noticed that the files were not on her bed, she looked around in the room for them, eventually finding them in the bottom drawer of the dresser. She slowly leafed through them, finally settling on reading Kyouya's file first. She knew reading awful things Kyouya might have done would be the least painful. She already suspected him.

It still wasn't pleasant. 10 names were listed as suspected victims. After the first three cases, she noticed the pattern. Haruhi had done research on criminals before coming to the school so she'd know what to look for, and she noticed that it was pretty standard. It surprised her at first; she thought that Kyouya, being so smart and cunning, would've been creative. But then she realized, with a sinking feeling in her stomach, that he just wanted to get the job done. The thought made her sick.

She wasn't sure whose file to read next. She was avoiding Tamaki's especially, but she trusted and cared for all of the Host Club members. She thought about it for a moment, and then picked up Mori's file. He'd always been kind to her, but he was also quiet, kept everything to himself, and, to Haruhi, seemed so spacey that murder would be plausible. She knew she was just trying to justify anyway she could, but she also knew that she had to get through these. She convinced herself it was logical and moved on.

The cases in Mori's file were nearly horrifying. Only 6 names, but he seemed to take his time. Murder didn't really seem on his agenda. According to the descriptions of the bodies (all female) when they were found, there was definite torture. It was a process of picking someone, and then meeting in secret for a few weeks. The descriptions of the encounters were vague for the first three, but then they had more detail. Sexual rendezvous involving S&M with girls who weren't involved in the club. And then the girls would be capture and held somewhere, starving to death while taking multiple beatings.

When she was done, Haruhi threw done the file and immediately picking up Hikaru's file. She figured that she could speed through them the first time, just to get it over with. Sadly, it only seemed to get worse.

The first page of Hikaru's file wasn't like Kyouya's or Mori's. It was a list of medications used and what they were prescribed for. Haruhi hadn't even suspected that Hikaru had medical issues, but as she read she finally connected things. He was on antidepressants and mood stabilizers. When he was 12, he was diagnosed as bipolar. He'd only had one major episode in his life, but stayed on the medication. He'd often had smaller episodes. He'd been taken to several medical professionals, including one who said that constantly being confused with his brother could eventually lead to major mental damage, perhaps going as far as causing him to have dissociative identity disorder episodes later in life.

The case files were sickening. 12 names. Each murdered differently. There was no pattern. Some were clean, simple murders like shooting or stabbing. Some were messy. One girl was found torn to pieces. The coroners couldn't find any blade marks, and even though it's near impossible to do, they wrote that it was done by hand. The weapon line up resembled a game of Clue (another sickening though to Haruhi): A blade, a gun, an axe, golf clubs, poison. One guy was found on the rocks under a cliff. Not a single one of them had any fingerprints, and no connection that the police could find. But someone, probably the masked man, wrote links into the margins. They were all seen with Hikaru at least 12 hours before they died. Every girl (8 of them) was guests of the Host Club. Every guy had some connection to Hikaru. And, Haruhi noted with disgust, one of them was Toru, Kanako's fiancé.

Haruhi got out of the bath. Her skin was shriveled up like a prune. She quickly got dressed. Her stomach growled; even though she didn't want to be hungry at a time like this, she was. As she finished brushing her hair, she heard a knock at her door. She went to answer it, and Tamaki stood before her.


End file.
